The Teddy Bear Series

Title: ModifiedAuthor:miss_auto1621Series: Post Manga/Teddy Bear Series #1Rating: KDisclaimer: Arakawa owns FMA and that’s that.Characters: Winry, Ed, PinakoSummary: Winry enjoys the gifts Ed sent from the West.Warnings: If you don't know what happened at the end of the manga, I suggest you go find out NOW.A/N: I wrote this for my birthday, although it's ironic because teddy bears make me uncomfortable since that day. Nevertheless, Winry begged for me to write this.

Winry tinkered with the various types of metals that were arranged on her work bench and considered the features, rejecting one by one as she looked for the next possibility.

A small automail arm shouldn't break if I drop it, she thought. A small automail leg should be strong, though, in case I throw it against the wall, she continued.

She also had decorative yarn and string, needles, black, white, and red fabric and a small portion of red paint with a thin paint brush in it to aid her in her current project.

The arm needs to be drilled first before it can get sewn, she thought. A needle can't pass through titanium or steel.

Her grandmother entered the shop with Den tailing her to keep them company while they worked, but Winry didn't notice them come in. She was so engrossed in her work that she couldn't be distracted in the least. After all, this task was very crucial; it required her undivided attention because it was special.

"Not at all, granny," she replied. "This is important. I need to complete this and attach it as soon as possible. I won't work on anything else until it's done."

Pinako stared at her granddaughter with a bewildered expression. Working on automail was one thing, but working on automail like the way she was working on it was too odd and, quite frankly, too obsessive. She rearranged her poker face and turned to begin her work.

"You think he'll be home to see what you've done?" she asked.

"I hope so," Winry answered. "It's not everyday I do this type of thing."

It's not everyday you work so hard that it feels like you're working for him, Pinako thought. "I guess."

"He better like it, too," Winry added, "or else I'll throw it at him with all my strength. This will hurt more than a wrench toss, I'll tell you that."

"You're asking too much of him, Winry," Pinako said. "The man's nineteen and hardly ever realizes he has to grow up."

"I'll make sure to knock some maturity into him the next time he comes for repairs," Winry smiled, almost smugly.

To think she had the power and potential to beat Edward silly even if he's a better fighter than her. How ironic. And very likely. All he can do is rant all he wants until he's breathless or finds no more point in the argument and storms out to release his steam while leaving her to release hers, but he cannot hit her with a tool or weapon because she was a girl. It would be immoral to hit a girl, especially his best friend, who cares for him, waits for him, repairs his mail, and promised to give him half of her life. As much of a dork as he is, he's not that stupid. He knows what will hit him anyway.

"The letter came with the gift?" Pinako asked to make conversation. After all, what else could they talk about other than the political topics that travel at the speed of a snail and her granddaughter's correspondence communication with her…boyfriend?

"Yes," Winry answered. "He sent it from a crafting town that makes ornaments and things to remember." She reached into the package the gift came in and took out a finely crafted tobacco pipe. "He sent you this."

Pinako stretched out her hand to take the pipe without turning and took the small comment in. "It's astonishing how he can discover so many places in a certain amount of time." She then examined the talented craftsmanship.

"I know," Winry said. "Fourteen cities in seven months doesn't sound like much, but he must be discovering a lot of material nobody even bothered to look into."

"Hence the gift?" Pinako asked.

Winry thought for a moment. "More like gifts." She turned to where her grandmother was currently working on her own automail project and still examining the detailed pipe. "I just don't have to worry about the other one."

"Why is that?" her grandmother enjoyed their talks at times more than others, depending on the way the conversation was headed. This was a light conversation with no awkwardness and no curious questions from Winry, wondering what she can do in certain situations, which sometimes made her grandmother blush inwardly.

"She doesn't need automail," she pointed out.

"And the one you have on your desk does?" Pinako turned to see her granddaughter's present. Cotton was also scattered on the work bench, making Pinako shake her head in amusement.

"Yes," she answered. "He needs it to survive."

Pinako turned to her work once more. "I'm sure it does, just like the rest of the patients that need mail and like the patient that sent the presents."

Winry agreed halfheartedly and continued with her work, carrying on with the conversation only to please her grandmother.

A few hours later, she was finished with her task and fitted the recipient with automail where the designated areas were cut, marked, and drilled. The last touch to do was reinforce the stitches so as to make it seem like the little arm was connected by surgery. Technically, what she was doing could count as 'craft' surgery, right? Out of the fabrics, she made miniature sized clothes to dress her presents with and to match what she imagined. She placed a tiny wrench in one of the presents' hands and pulled out the longest strand of hair the other present had to make an antenna on its head. At last, they were complete. She stood them both up along the wall of her work bench and admired her day's work. At least the one with the antenna was taller than the one with the wrench.

She felt like capturing the moment, because every now and then, she felt like a moment could last forever; so she ran into the living room, rummaged through the drawers, and headed for her room when she didn't find what she was looking for and left a mess in the process. Finally, she came down with the camera in her hand and headed back towards the shop.

There was a knock on the door, which reeled her back and made her hesitant.

Should I just ignore it and go to the shop or answer and let my vision get crushed? she thought. She kept thinking for a few seconds before a voice convinced her.

"Winry, I know you're there," a man around the age of nineteen spoke. "Open up, will ya?"

Surely it wasn't time for maintenance and he didn't tell her he needed repairs, so why the hell was Edward on the other side of the door knocking in the evening?

She travelled to the front door and opened it to reveal the person she had been thinking of throughout the day. With a tired expression and a warm smile that made even her reconsider why she shouldn't be upset with him, he stepped inside and greeted her with a proper embrace. She corresponded and saluted him as well, forgetting for a moment her presents on her work bench. But they could wait.

He was tired, and with a long train ride with cushionless seats, even she would drop dead on the floor the second she would step into her home.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were coming?" she asked.

"I felt like surprising you," he answered as he kept embracing her calmingly.

She sighed. "Come on, you must be tired."

"More than that," he replied as he stepped in and sat his suitcase on the floor.

"You are in luck," she replied. "Granny is making stew."

He licked his lips subconsciously. "Sorry for dropping in like this."

"You did surprise me," she answered before she took his hand and led him to the kitchen, having her other hand grip the camera. "Granny, we have our guest."

Pinako turned to see the blond boy she considered a grandson holding her granddaughter's hand as they walked into the kitchen. Well, at least she trusted him enough to handle Winry. At least he was taller than her, too. "This is a surprise. You two are not yelling and abusing each other," she commented as she directed her attention to her cooking. She somehow sensed that the couple blushed, which made her smile. "Take out the bowls and spoons for dinner, you two," she ordered as she saw that the stew was ready.

Dinner was the time to catch up for all of them. More news were reaching the rural area of Resembool, their automail business was blossoming beautifully thanks to Winry's close ties with Rush Valley, and Ed was making some fascinating discoveries in the West. All that they talked about led to the last letter sent and the presents that reached Winry with it.

"They might not seem like much, but those were the things that really caught my attention and I thought you'd like them," he explained his reason for the choice he made. Apparently, he aimed and fired a bull's eye for both of them.

"I've never seen a pipe like this one before, so I'm impressed. Thanks pipsqueak," she commented. She knew he wasn't short anymore, but she loved to poke him when she got the change. The truth was that she missed those times she could really mock Ed.

Ed furrowed his brows. "I'm not short," he murmured before adding, "Grandma flee," to his defense.

"Don't start with that argument," Winry ordered, making them back off each other's case.

"So, did you like what I sent you?" he asked as he looked at her.

His shyness made something in her stomach flutter, but she managed to suppress it enough to answer with a straight face. "Yes, they're adorable."

Ed grinned. "I'm glad. I don't usually see bears with different fur colors, so when I saw those two, I imagined you'd like them."

"Like them? She hasn't put them down all day," Pinako intervened. "Especially the one with golden orange like fur."

Winry blushed terribly. She was trying to keep her body temperature moderate; now her grandmother caused her to have a higher temperature than one considered dangerous.

Ed was the surprised one. He didn't expect for Winry to like the presents so much. "Well, did you play with them, or what is it that you were doing?"

"Playing isn't exactly the word," Pinako answered for Winry.

"I'll show you, now that she's let my secret out," Winry said sarcastically as she stood from the table and headed for her shop. When she returned, she held in her hands her presents and Ed took the image of the crafted toys in with great incredulity. To say the least, his mouth was wide open.

"Is that why you had the camera?" he asked as he stood to walk towards her.

"Yep," she said. "I worked on them all day, so I might as well conserve the moment."

Ed was much more surprised than Winry expected him to be. He didn't know if he was more surprised because Winry could do such craftsmanship, or because she actually thought about it in the first place.

"I'll take the picture for you two," Pinako offered. "Just hold the presents to match yourselves."

"Is this going on the wall of pictures?" Ed asked as he held the one that had the automail.

"Yes," she answered. "Don't worry, I have never seen bears like these either."

They posed as the camera flashed and when Winry tacked the picture on the wall, it was visible for anyone to see as they walked in. In it were Ed and Winry side by side with genuine smiles and in their hands were Winry's presents: two teddy bears being held side by side, one with blue eyes and light yellow fur with a bandana, and a wrench; and the other one with an yellow orange fur, an antenna, a red coat, and newly fitted automail limbs.

Title: ChrysanthemumsAuthor:miss_auto1621Series: Post Manga/Teddy Bear Series #2Rating: K+, somewhat TDisclaimer: Arakawa owns FMA and that’s that.Characters: Winry, Ed, PinakoSummary: Post Manga. Beware of spoilers. It was just Edward's luck: he and Winry had to get in an argument when he brought her some damn flowers.Warnings: Same warning as the 1st fic.A/N: It's part of 101_kisses, but I made it coincide with this. XD

Winry was glad she modified the teddy bear Edward had sent her so it could serve its purpose. The millionth time that she had thrown it at the wall, she gave up and let the bear lie where it landed. At least the automail didn't break with the force she used to pitch. On the contrary to the Edward bear, she held the Winry bear tightly and nuzzled its head with her nose while sitting on her bed.

Her grandmother entered her room after hearing the same material slam against the wall several times and became worried. Her granddaughter could do some crazy things sometimes. She realized that it was only the Edward bear that was on the floor.

'Poor thing,' she thought. 'If it's not the real one, then the bear can take his place.' "Why is Edward Bearric on the floor?" she asked.

"Because Winry Rockbear is mad at him," Winry answered.

"Winry, do you have to take out your frustration on the bear? It won't last you long if you keep doing that."

"Well, if he would come home, then the bear wouldn't suffer. He would be the one I'd throw against the wall."

Pinako shook her head as she smoked her new pipe, the one Ed had sent from the West along with Winry's bears. She had never had a pipe last her so long until she received her current one.

"If you want for him to last, you're going to have to cut him some slack."

"I would if he would at least send a letter so we could know that he's okay. He's broken our communication."

Pinako walked towards the lying bear and picked it up. "I don't understand why it surprises you. Neither he nor his brother are accustomed to sending letters when they travel," she said as she straightened the bear out.

Winry sighed. "I know, but I thought that they never wrote letters because they were too busy doing what they were doing. Now…I thought things would be different. I thought Ed would be a little more considerate and at least write something," Winry said as she pouted.

Pinako knew what her granddaughter was feeling before she even explained the reason for her frustration. She, too, had felt the same way when she was young and had her significant other. But she didn't know how to guide Winry, or console her, in this type of situation. Her significant other hadn't traveled as Edward did. However, she knew the comportment of men and would help Winry with that.

"You need to know that no matter how noble or how free men are, they won't change. Edward can't change the fact that he doesn't write anything other than his notes. Don't be angry with him for something he doesn't do," Pinako advised as sweetly and firmly as she could.

Winry glared at her. "Granny, he didn't tell you he'd give you half his life if you gave him half of yours. That's the difference between these two situations. I am worried about what he doesn't do, but I'm more preoccupied wondering where that half of his life is."

Pinako seemed to blush. "Oh, that's right. So was that like a proposal?"

"I don't know. I doubt it."

"Then…he confessed to you that—"

"I don't know what it was, Granny! I just know that we agreed to the equivalency."

"Well, he has to come home sometime."

"What if he doesn't? What if he keeps me waiting forever?" Winry asked as she squeezed her bear.

"I doubt it," Pinako said as she walked towards Winry to hand her the bear she had thrown. "He may be a lot of things, but I know that he doesn't want to be like his father."

Winry took the bear and hugged it along with the one she already had. "I guess you're right."

They heard a faint knock as Pinako positioned herself to exit Winry's room.

"I'm still mad at him," Winry said as she stood from her bed and followed her grandmother down the stairs to the front door where the knocks hadn't stopped.

Pinako looked at Winry. "It's your turn to answer," she said.

Winry rolled her eyes as she reached for the doorknob and opened the entrance door. She realized she made a mistake. She didn't ask who was at the door. She just opened it blindly, not knowing if the person could even be trusted. It could have been a psycho for all she knew! But she didn't have to worry because Edward was the one that had knocked.

"Hey, Winry," he said nonchalantly.

She didn't give him a chance to enter the house, though. She had to hit him first. She had let him know that she suffered during his absence and it hurt to be lonely sometimes. The thing was that she didn't have her wrench with her, but she did have her bears. Using the metal to clash with his forehead, Winry managed to make Ed step away from the doorway and closed the door, but didn't lock it so Edward could let himself in.

"What the hell was that for, Winry?" he fumed as he entered with his luggage.

"Edward Bearric is mad at you," Winry answered as she walked toward the workshop to get her wrench.

"You're going to end up killing me, you know?"

"Well, you provoke me," Winry said.

Edward followed her and stopped outside the shop. "So, not even a 'hi'?"

Winry came out with her wrench and gave him a dry 'Hi'.

Ed processed her tone and mood and kept following her. "What's with you? I leave, you hit me; I come home, you hit me. Why can't you be civilized and put down the wrench for once?" he asked.

When he asked that, Winry turned and tried to hit Ed with her wrench, but he stopped her arm with his, although he couldn't stop her other hand, which collided with his shoulder.

"Because you take forever to come home."

Edward's mood softened when he saw her the way she was. "Winry…"

"And you never call, or write, or do anything to let me know you're alright. You worry me."

"Winry, I'm…sorry that…I don't do that, but I've been busy and it's not easy to send a letter or make a phone call."

Winry looked at him. "Or…come home often," he finished off.

But she was still upset. "I understand that you can't do all that, but I'm just trying to figure out when that half a life you promised me will begin."

Edward gave her a remorseful look. "Winry…I"

"I know you're busy and I know you're in another country, but I don't get why you can't take just a few minutes to write 'Hi, Winry. I'm somewhere.', or come visit more often."

Damn shit. Now she was nagging him and that was the last thing he wanted to deal with at the moment. It was ruining his plan, which he worked on for quite a while, and he felt so disappointed for having his efforts being thrown away so quickly.

"Winry, you know it's not easy, but you know I at least try to send you something once in a while."

"But that's not the same!"

Her outburst surprised him, which made him release her arm.

"Please try to understand the way I feel, what I'm going through. I've been here waiting and waiting, trying to be patient, but that's not enough." By now, Winry was close to crying.

"I do try to understand you," Ed said as moderately as he could.

"It doesn't seem like it!"

"Winry!"

"I'm…I'm tired. This is making me very impatient, Ed. I promised you more than half of my life, but I don't want to waste it just waiting for you!"

"I'm getting impatient as well, but just try to understand that this takes time and it's not exactly a walk in the park to get foreign alchemy. I've had to do a lot of things that I have never done!"

"Well, when you finish, call me. Let's see if I'll still be waiting!"

"What?" When he heard that comment, Ed felt like his body was being deflated. What was she saying?

"And until then, get out of my house!"

Something was wrong with her, but as he thought of this, Winry used all her strength to push him out the door. He tried removing her hands from his stomach with his free hand, but he couldn't. He was too paralyzed by her words to control his movements. His other hand was busy protecting what he had behind his back. And he couldn't use force on her. It was Winry, for God's sake!

She slammed the door almost on his face, but he jumped back to avoid the collision. Why did he let her do that to him? Why was she acting like that? Why did he feel like such a dumbass? What he held behind his back seemed to die as he felt that a few petals touched his hand. His enthusiasm that he built up along his travels withered with the ringing comments Winry had stated. The door opened a few moments later, but it wasn't Winry that received him.

"Is she on her period?" Ed asked. "Or is she PMSing?"

"Sorry, Ed, but she's just upset. Try understanding her position," Pinako said as she let Edward in.

She noticed that he held something she had never seen before.

"What are those?" she asked curiously.

"They're from the West," Ed answered with disappointment.

"How long do they last?" she asked as she reached for what he held.

"A few weeks. The Westerners use a special type of fertilizer to harvest their plants and crops. One of the places I visited and researched on had an alchemist with a farm that cultivated this type of flower with an alchemic fertilizer."

Pinako held the flower carefully and handed it back to Edward. "And she complains that you don't remember her."

"I do remember her, Granny, don't get me wrong," he began as he ran his free hand through his hair, "but I'm sometimes stuck researching so much that I barely get to sleep. And…it's hard to come up with something to write."

Pinako smiled. "She feels like you don't care about her. I know you're not a man of words, but just try something simple."

"Like what?"

"'I'm still alive', 'My automail's fine', or…'I'm not so short anymore!'"

"Listen, Grandma flee, I'm a lot taller than you!" Ed retorted.

"I know that! So don't yell at me!"

Edward calmed down. "It's not as easy as you make it sound."

"Even you can't be that much of an idiot, Ed."

"I just can't write without messing up."

"Then, just give her the flowers if you can't write. Maybe she'll calm down."

"And if she doesn't?"

"Well…let's just hope you don't come rolling down the stairs."

His look seemed to say 'Really' to Pinako, but Ed had to do something. She knew he was good for Winry, somehow.

"Fine, let's hope I don't die up there."

As he walked up the stairs, he realized that he didn't know what to tell her. He didn't want to hurt her or make her cry, but he felt that whatever he did, he wouldn't avoid doing that. And he'd end up with a wrench on his forehead. He knocked on her bedroom door.

"I told you to leave," she said coldly.

It was just Edward's luck: he and Winry had to get in an argument when he brought her some damn flowers. They weren't even that pretty anymore with the dilemma occurring. They were supposed to brighten up the mood, or at least make her smile, but Ed doubted that the flowers he held in his hand would help much.

"We need to talk," he said stoically.

"Talk to the door," she ordered.

Edward actually felt like laughing. That was ridiculous! Not believing what he was hearing, he took a seat next to Winry's door and sighed in frustration.

"I thought you missed me, but then you kicked me out," Ed began as he looked at the pretty flower petals he spun with his fingers. He felt that the blue hue of the petals matched Winry's eye color, but maybe he would spin them enough to speed up the withering process.

Winry didn't answer.

"I thought you wanted to see me, but you're making me sit next to your door," he tried. But she still kept silent.

"And you don't even want to answer back." Silence. "You're so stubborn; how do you live with yourself?"

"I get by just fine, not that you care," she said, but her tone was too low that Ed could barely hear her.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Did you not listen to what I complained about earlier?"

"Winry, you make this so difficult," Ed said as he sat the flowers he held on the floor and rubbed his face.

"So do you. If I would have known you'd keep me waiting so much, I wouldn't have agreed to what you offered me."

Ed's eyes widened. "Don't…don't say that. I mean, just…Winry…"

The door opened and he fell flat on his back, and saw Winry upside down. She was kneeling next to him, which gave her a chance to stare at him.

"Don't' say things like that," Ed repeated.

"Why?"

"Because Winry…"

"I thought you weren't going to take so long. Now, I bet you're home just because you need maintenance."

Ed blushed. "Winry…"

"I bet you don't even remember me until you need to come here," she continued. "I bet you're not even going to finish researching that alchemy—"

Edward cut her off by pulling her down to where he was. Winry blushed.

"Don't say that," Ed ordered.

Now he knew what to do. He wasn't going to let her think that he broke his promise and he certainly was going to remind her that he cared about her and missed her. He reached for the flowers and made her look at them.

"What are these?"

"Chrysanthemums."

Winry seemed dumbfounded. "Chrysan—what?"

"Chrysanthemums," Ed repeated. "They're Western flowers that last a long time because of an alchemic fertilizer."

"They're huge!"

'They're expensive', Ed thought. "Yeah, they're also very rare and authentic. That's why I took long to come home," he explained.

"Really? But why were you looking for flowers?"

Ed blinked at her for being dense. "I don't know, Winry. I just wanted the nice petals."

Winry caught on to the sarcasm and blushed again. It was hard to keep a straight face while being on top of Ed.

"Oh, Ed…"

"Don't say the things you just said. You're not being fair and I'm working as fast as I can to come home as soon as possible."

Winry didn't know how to react. "I'm…sorry."

Ed was trying to act as if he didn't realize he was holding Winry, but she noticed and blushed a deeper shade of red.

"I admit I was being selfish," she said.

Ed chuckled. "Why's that?"

"You try waiting for seven months without knowing how I am and see how you like it," she said.

"Well, I do. I have to wait to see you as well."

"But at least you're moving around. I'm in one place all the time and it gets so boring that time slows down and I can't tell time sometimes."

"Well…I'm here now," Ed said.

Winry continued to blush. She tried to act as if she didn't know that she was getting closer to Edward. "So what are the flowers called again?"

"Chrysanthemums…" Ed said slowly as he felt Winry's breath.

"Thank you…"

"Sure…"

Very cleverly, Winry leaned forward to give Ed a kiss on his cheek. That caused his body to accelerate in every process and function, and he very cleverly turned his face so his lips could brush hers. Winry brought the flowers towards his face and touched him with them.

"So, what was that about me not coming home?"

"Forget that," she mumbled against his mouth. "I'll put these in a vase…later."

Title: It Happens to the Best of UsAuthor:miss_auto1621Series: Post Manga/Teddy Bear Series #3Rating: K-ishDisclaimer: Arakawa owns FMA and that’s that.Characters: Winry, EdSummary: Winry remembers Ed’s first “broken” arm.Warnings: None.A/N: I like comparing the bear withEd. XD Part of fma_fic_contest.

Winry held the modified teddy bear that Ed had sent her from the West. She hadn’t noticed, but by throwing the poor bear so many times against the wall, its automail arm had ripped off from where she had sewn the drilled ports. It reminded her of Ed’s first “broken” arm when he was getting used to automail. She realized that after attaching his arm, the area where his shoulder port connected with his skin swelled up.

She thought that she had done the proper connection, but when he tried to raise it, a noise came from the port. As if it needed oil so it wouldn’t be so stiff. But when his painful outburst confused her, she noticed that his arm had worked its way out of the connection port! The metal pulled the nerves before it fell, but she caught the arm and had to inspect it. Her face burned while gingerly cradling the metal limb and tried disregarding Ed’s hissing profanities, but she couldn’t and got nervous. It wasn’t the first time she attached automail, but it wasn’t like she had enough practice at age 11. Nevertheless, she wanted to be his mechanic, so she had to attach it, build it, and deal with her patient.

The little arm detached just like Ed’s did. At least the teddy bear didn’t feel any pain. At least the limb didn't break easily like human limbs. Where would the boy and the bear be if it weren’t for her metal?